Poison Control tends to see an increase in calls around Valentine's Day due to candy or plant ingestion. If you are sending a bouquet to someone who has pets, let the flower folks know to NOT include lilies! These flowers are toxic to cats and can cause a host of issues from lethargy to vomiting to, in extreme cases, death. Likewise, if you are the recipient of a lovely bouquet, be sure to sort out the plants that may be dangerous to your pets. Need a list? Check out the ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic library here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

Chocolates and treats sweetened with xylitol are also a danger to pets. Chocolate contains methylxanthines which are stimulants that can affect multiple organ systems leading to life-threatening conditions. Ingesting xylitol can result in a sudden drop in blood sugar which can result in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Keep these items out of reach of pets!

Wrapping paper, ribbons, string, balloons…all of these are fun items for pets to play with and chew. However, if swallowed, these items can cause choking or an obstruction. Clean up these items promptly and find other appropriate chew toys for your pets.

Check out these other safety tips (thorns, fire, alcohol) from the ASPCA and have a fantastic and safe Valentine's Day!

Did your dog just eat a bag of trail mix that contained raisins and chocolate chips? Did your cat eat part of that lily you brought home for Easter? Did they eat something potentially poisonous? Who do you call? You can call us for immediate directions, but depending on the substance your pet ingested, we likely will direct you to call the Pet Poison Helpline immediately. The sooner a dog or cat poisoning is diagnosed, the easier, less expensive, and safer it is to treat your pet.

Pet Poison Helpline is a 24-hour animal poison control service available throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance with treating a potentially poisoned pet. They have the ability to help every poisoned pet, with all types of poisonings, 24 hours a day. Their contact number is 855-764-7661.

In order to provide this critical service, Pet Poison does charge a $49 per incident fee, which is payable by credit card. This fee covers the initial consultation as well as all follow-up calls associated with the management of the case. When you consult with Pet Poison Helpline, you get the following:

24/7 access to experts in pet poisonings.

Experience. They have managed over 1,000,000 cases involving pet poisonings.

Veterinary specialists. They are the only poison control with veterinarians board-certified in internal medicine (DACVIM), emergency and critical care (DACVECC), and toxicology (DABVT, DABT) – which is imperative if your pet is critically ill from a potential poisoning.

Why they charge. They are the most cost-effective pet poison control center. Unfortunately, because there is no public funding to help run animal poison control centers, there is a small per-incident fee of $49.

Their sole purpose is to ensure that pets stay healthy. Their single goal is to prevent their injury or illness from potential poisonings. To accomplish this, they operate a 24-hour pet poison control center which requires considerable effort, resources, and expense. Unlike public poison control centers in the human sector, veterinary poison control is allotted no tax dollars to support their existence. Pet Poison Helpline does not receive any state, federal, or other public funding. If they did not charge, they could not exist.

Follow up consultations. Their animal poison control staff will follow up with veterinarians or pet owners to ensure appropriate recommendations can be made throughout the treatment of the pet.

Treatment advice for all varieties of pets. They manage cat poisonings and dog poisonings, but they also assist in the treatment of avian, small mammals, large animal and exotic species (on a per incident fee basis).